Our Employee Owned Trust

An employee owned business is one which every employee should be proud of, as it means employees have a real voice and opportunity for constructive contribution to the business growth and a real stake in the company they work for.

 

Our Employee Owned Trust (EOT) benefits every employee of Tenos; it means we’ve all got a stake in making the business even more successful and profitable.

An EOT must own at least 51% of company shares to operate. The Tenos EOT owns 100% of the company’s shares making us fully owned by our employees.

 

So how does it work?

The EOT must be managed by trustees that are made up of senior management and employees.  The current Trustees are Paul Hoban and Andrew Foolkes (Board Trustees), and Deborah Bamber and Richard Huntley (Employee Trustees).

Meet our Trustee Directors

Our Directors will continue to set the strategy and oversee the running of the company; the role of the Trustees is to represent the Trust (and its members – the employees ) and ensure that the company is run in a way that benefits its current and future members.  The Trust holds the ultimate power as the majority share holder and holds the Tenos Board accountable.

…and what are the benefits of Employee Ownership?

The primary goal of an EOT is to benefit the interest of all its members – you!  By the nature of how the Trust works, you will have the opportunity to be more involved in the achievement of success – so in essence the more you put in, the more you’ll get out.

What’s more, when it’s bonus time, the Trust can pay up to £3,600 per annum per member tax-free! 

Research by the Employee Ownership Association (EOA) shows that:

  • Employee owned businesses (EOBs) are more profitable, efficient, and resilient
  • Staff are happier, more productive, and better paid – health, wealth and participation
  • Staff are much more committed when they have a meaningful stake and a say
  • EOBs are more firmly rooted in their local communities for the long-term – jobs stay in your local area
  • Staff contribute to better governance and improve the decision-making in the business

Benefits to the Employees

Employee ownership offers employees a meaningful stake and a say in their workplace. They’re also consistently happier, more productive, and take greater pride in their work.  

Employees in Employee-Owned businesses are more likely to:

  • receive a higher and fairer pay (EO businesses are two times likelier to be a Living Wage Employer);
  • have access to bigger bonuses (on average almost twice as large);
  • be happier and engaged due to increased job satisfaction;
  • have more opportunities for training and developing due to increased investment in training and skills;
  • have greater financial & wellbeing support such as salary sacrifice schemes and flexible work arrangements.

Benefits to the Company

Employee ownership helps increase profit, productivity, resilience, and innovation at a business. It’s no wonder EOBs are, on average, more successful than their counterparts.  

Employee-Owned Business are more likely to:

  • Generate more profit and greater efficiency;
  • be more productive;
  • have greater resilience (rising to challenges and retaining more stable profits and investment levels, fewer redundancies);
  • be more innovative (increased R&D); and have improved recruitment and retention.

Benefits to the Economy and Society

The EO sector is small but mighty, and it’s growing fast. As it grows, the benefits EOBs bring to the economy and society will continue to expand. The more employee owned businesses, the greater the benefit. These benefits include Net Zero/carbon management strategies, positive environmental impacts, obtaining environmental sustainability accreditations (ISO, B Corp etc.), and supporting communities with charitable donations.